I'll post an extra chapter every 400 Power Stones. Good luck with that!
Goal for the next extra chapter: 377/400
####
POV: Kyo
After almost half an hour, Aya finally left my dressing room. She had been acting so friendly that it actually felt strange. 'It even seemed a bit forced.' The image I had of her was completely different.
She always plays serious roles—or even villains—but in person, she's almost too friendly.
"That woman…"
"Aya Fuji?"
"Yes, that actress. Isn't she strange? Don't you think she's strange?" my mother asked.
"I thought she was very friendly."
"Yes, exactly! My intuition is telling me there's something off about her." My mother pointed at me and said, "You'd better not get too close to that woman. I'm sure she's going to try something weird."
"You do realize you're talking about Aya Fuji, right?"
"I don't care if she's a famous actress or not. I'm worried, and I want you to be careful around her." My mother is right—her intuition has never failed. She's always right.
Well, I should probably pay more attention around Aya from now on.
After a while, the same makeup artist came back to touch up my makeup, and soon after, the stylist showed up to change my clothes again. I didn't really understand it—I had just gotten ready to read the script with the other actors, and now I had to change again?
Well, I just went along with it.
This time, my makeup changed slightly. Darker marks were added under my eyes, giving me an extremely tired look—just as it should be.
After I finished getting ready, I sat in the dressing room with my mother and waited. Some time later, a woman knocked on the door and opened it. It was the same woman who had welcomed us when we arrived.
"Filming will start in 10 minutes." After saying that, she was about to close the door, but I asked,
"One question—can my mother watch the filming?"
"Of course. She can stay backstage with your manager. You can come with me if you'd like."
"Mom, I'll see you later."
"What? But I wanted to go with you."
"Just go."
"Alright…" My mother looked visibly upset and puffed her cheeks.
She stood up from the couch and gave me a light hug.
"I need to be careful not to wrinkle your clothes. And I wanted to kiss you, but I don't want to ruin your makeup."
"Okay, okay. See you later."
My mother left the dressing room with the woman, and I took a deep breath.
After waiting about five more minutes, I left the room, and the same woman was waiting for me outside.
She guided me to the area in the studio where my first scene would be filmed.
All the actors were already on set, and there were far more people than I had expected. There were also many cameras.
The set I was on was a living room built inside the studio.
There was also a recreation of a dining room connected to the kitchen.
In this series, our family is middle class, with a small house of our own.
Looking at the set and all the cameras around me, I felt my heart start to race.
####
Director Takumi Hayashida began speaking with all the actors, including me.
"First, we'll do a quick rehearsal before filming. Meanwhile, the technical team will handle the sound and lighting. Kyo, you remember the scene and your lines, right?" he asked, concerned.
"Don't worry—I won't make a single mistake," I said confidently in front of everyone.
Keiko, Ren, and Hiroshi smiled, satisfied.
Then they sat at the table, and I went to the "outside" of the house so we could begin the rehearsal.
"Action!"
The director shouted, observing everything from a distance.
I opened the door with a tired expression on my face, staggering slightly. I struggled to take off my shoes and placed them in the cabinet. Then I said, "I'm home."
At that exact moment, my mother shouted from the dining room and came toward the living room.
Keiko's expression was perfect. Her disgust toward me as she delivered her lines felt completely genuine.
Then it was Hiroshi's turn.
He stepped in to "defend" my mother, and an argument began.
I felt like I was truly in an unpleasant situation, as if I really were Sota. Even my thoughts changed—I became one with him. To me, the people in front of me were unbearable.
"Just leave me alone. I'm hungry and want something to eat," I said, clicking my tongue. I walked past my father and bumped into his shoulder, nearly knocking him over since my body is large for my age.
"Sota!" my father shouted, but I ignored him.
I reached the dining room, and Ren Kisaragi—my brother—was quietly eating.
He glanced at me from the corner of his eye, and I looked back at him. "What are you looking at?" I asked in a harsh tone as I opened the fridge.
"You should take better care of yourself and treat our parents with respect," he said calmly, in a very mature tone.
We stared at each other for a moment, and then my father entered the dining room.
Right behind him, my mother looked at me with tears in her eyes. The disgust was obvious.
I grabbed an apple from the table angrily and bit into it.
Then I ran upstairs, stomping loudly on the stairs before disappearing.
As soon as I got upstairs, I heard the director's voice.
"That was incredible. Bravo!" I heard him clapping. "Damn, I should've recorded that—it was perfect, not a single mistake," he said, clearly disappointed.
When I came back downstairs, someone took the apple from my hand, and I met up with Ren, Hiroshi, and Keiko.
"That was great, Kyo. If you can repeat that during filming, we'll only need one take," Ren said with a gentle smile.
"You all did great too. I felt intimidated by your gaze, Keiko," I said jokingly.
"Hahaha, if you want, I can soften it. Was it too intense?"
"Don't even think about it!" Director Hayashida shouted. "You need to keep that for filming. Quickly, fix the lights and sound! We start in 15 minutes!"
####
Read 8+ more chapters on my patreon!
/KyoHaruhi
By subscribing to my Patreon, you can suggest works for the protagonist to recreate!